Are you annoyed by the hassle involved bringing clothes to the dry cleaner? This post is a introductory tutorial to at-home dry cleaning. And, guess what? It’s easier than you think. Read to see whether DIY might be a solution for you too.
Disclosures: Ad. This post is sponsored by Dryel. They did not endorse the post. I wrote it entirely myself and it reflects my own 100% honest opinions. There are affiliate links in this post.
At-Home Dry Cleaning Makes Clothes Care Easier
How often did you put a gorgeous skirt, dress, blazer – you name it – back on the rack when you saw the tag “dry cleaning only” when you checked for the care advice? If you are like me, it probably was every time you saw it. Or at least close to that. Why? I hated not to be able to maintain the clothes, but had to bring them to the dry cleaner. Two additional trips in my already busy schedule!
If you have the same problem, you be interested in how I fixed the problem. In other words, a care tag reading “dry cleaning” is no reason any more to not buy the piece. Last year, I learned about Dryel at home dry cleaning. Dryel permits you to be your own dry-cleaner and it works! Consequently, you can wear what you want any time.
How to Dry Clean at Home
I used Dryel to rescue my dirty white blazer and my tweed skirt. And it was as easy as 1-2-3. Here are the how-to steps:
- Get the Dryel Starter Kit online or at your retailer.
Dryel Starter Kit - Pre-treat stains and dirty areas with the Dryel booster spray. In the example of my blazer, the lower sleeves, and the area around the neck. In the example of my skirt the spot.
- Put the item and one cleaning cloth into the reusable fabric protection bag and zip the bag. You can clean up to five garments at a time.
- Put the bag into your dryer. Set the dryer on medium heat and its timer to 30 minutes for deep clean or 15 minutes for refreshing. I did the deep clean in my examples.
- Once the time is up, take the bag from the dryer, take the item from the bag and place it on a hanger so potential wrinkles fall out.
- Take the dry cleaning cloth from the bag. I thought that it smelled so good that I hang it in my closet.
- Fold the bag and store it. You can reuse the protection bag up to 30 times! Note that the bag ensures a temperature-controlled environment of air around the garments.
- Wear your garment and repeat this list at step 1 when cleaning is needed again.
The infographic shown at the beginning of this tutorial summarizes the at-home dry cleaning steps.
Tip: Pin the infographic to your Pinterest board or go the old-fashioned way and pin it on the wall of your laundry room.
Pro tip: Hang the used Dryel cloth into your closet for a fresh scent.
Does Dryel At-Home Dry Cleaning Work?
The next photos show the blazer and tweed skirt prior and after the DIY procedure. Make your own judgement.
I like that the product doesn’t fade or shrink the garments.
What Are the Costs of At-Home Dry Cleaning?
The Dryel Starter Kit is about $9.99 and good for up to 20 pieces. The refill has the same price and is good for up to 40 pieces. Let’s assume that you clean five items at a time. In this case, your DIY clothes care costs are about a quarter (25 US cents) plus one fifth of the electricity used by the dryer per piece. Together these costs are much less than at a dry cleaning business.
Now what are the total costs for professional clothes care? The dry-cleaners typical $15 at the dry cleaner’s plus the gasoline costs going there twice. In my case, it would be driving 12 miles (19 km) – round trip. The bigger the car, the more expensive is the trip to the business.
Tip: Dryel also has a dry cleaning pen that you can carry around in your purse.
</aDryel At-Home Dry Cleaning in a Nutshell
When you also get frustrated when the dry-cleaning costs of your favorite blazer exceed the price you paid for the blazer? Then Dryel may be a solution for your problem. The Refill Kit permits you to be your own dry-cleaner and it works!
If your friends are into DIY and/or saving, please share this “Dryel 101: How to be your own dry cleaner tutorial”.
Don’t let your outfit be a random thing. Wear the right look in every situation by looking up what to wear when in How to Dress for Success in Midlife. Buy the book now.
Photos and infographic: N. Mölders
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